Interview: GORDO

By late summer, Ibiza has evolved. The day-trippers have gone home, so the queues are shorter and whoever is still out on a Tuesday night is a real head. For GORDO, that's the appeal. He is about to finish his six-week TARAKA residency at Pacha Ibiza and the Grammy-nominated producer says his late-season slot has changed the feel of the party.

"It is clear that the tourist crowds have really started to slim down so you are not just getting a young and inexperienced party-goer who is making plans on the go. You are getting an experienced and proper audience who decided to come to Pacha Ibiza for TARAKA specifically," he says. "That creates a different energy in the room. It feels more intentional, more intimate, and honestly more fun."

The residency ran every Tuesday from 25th August to 29th September, with GORDO playing extended sets alongside top tier guests including Vintage Culture, Patrick Topping, Nicole Moudaber, Shimza, HoneyLuv and Roger Sanchez. "The opening night back in May was one of the proudest moments of my life," he says. "After years of dreaming about building my own world in Ibiza, seeing it come to life was surreal. Sonically speaking, some of the newer tunes have absolutely been crushing every single week, and that's always exciting because it means the crowd trusts me enough to take them somewhere new."

Having his own night has changed how he plays. A guest slot gives you one night to make an impression while a residency lets an artist stretch out more and "gives you the freedom to tell a bigger story." Rather than hunting big moments early, he's been using the time to "experiment and play deeper records, test unreleased music, and really build the night. When performing I really try to read and react to what is working in the crowd, so there's learning lessons week over week. I've learned to trust the room more than ever. Sometimes the biggest reaction comes from the records you don't expect, and that's reminded me that DJing is about reading people, not just playing hits."

His back-to-back with Vintage Culture stands out as "one of those sets where everything just clicked." He puts that down in part to preparation. None of it is casual on his end. Every week involves digging for records, making edits in the hotel, chasing unreleased tracks from friends and tweaking his own music. "You can commonly catch me trying to track down new music on my IG Story the night of a show," he admits. The goal is to keep every Tuesday different. "I never want two TARAKA nights to feel exactly the same."

Pacha Ibiza has taught him a few things too. The booth, the sound system and the room all do a lot of the work, he says. "It all gives off an energy that cannot be replicated.

The residency wraps up with a closing party featuring Roger Sanchez, Gala and Abril Love alongside GORDO. He's keeping the details close, but promises there's more to come. "We're definitely saving a few surprises for the Closing Party," he says, with friends and family flying in to support. For anyone who hasn't made it down yet, his pitch is simple: "This is the night to finally understand what everyone has been talking about."

Head to https://pacha.com/residence/gordo-taraka for tickets for the closing party on 29th September.